Woman allegedly exchanged fire with Henderson police, NHP troopers

A woman shot at police officers and attempted to run over two Nevada Highway Patrol troopers Sunday in a pursuit that stretched from Henderson to Las Vegas, police said.

Shanita Hearns, 34, of Las Vegas is charged with attempted murder and two counts of assault on a protected person with a deadly weapon.

The episodes leading to Hearns’ arrest started early Sunday, when a man driving south on U.S. Highway 95 near the Horizon Ridge Parkway exit heard a bang, leading him to believe he had a flat tire, authorities said.

The driver then heard a second bang and the sound of shattering glass, according to an arrest report for Hearns. The man pulled into a gas station parking lot, where he was scheduled to meet friends for a trip to Lake Havasu, and told his friends and a store clerk that he had been shot at.

The clerk saw a Ford Mustang pull into the parking lot with a woman behind the wheel. She was holding a gun and yelling, “Where are they?” the clerk told officers.

Police identified the female motorist as Hearns. They said she drove across the street to another gas station, where a man in a rental truck was parked. The man said Hearns pulled up to him, brandished a gun and said, “I’m going to shoot you!”

Hearns walked into the convenience store and pointed a gun at another man, police said. She then went to that man’s pickup, jumped into the front seat and started to drive off, police said.

The man chased her, prompting Hearns to stop the vehicle, grab a golf club from the cab and start striking the man with it. Hearns got back into the pickup and ran the man over, causing him to suffer a “shattered pelvis,” police said.

Hearns was located driving the pickup in circles at a high rate of speed in the parking lot of a nearby grocery store, police said. Henderson police said when they attempted to stop Hearns, she pointed a gun at them.

A Henderson police sergeant opened fire, but Hearns sped off onto the 215 Beltway, police said.

The Highway Patrol joined the pursuit and set up tire-puncturing sticks in the road. A trooper said Hearns drove around the sticks and attempted to run him over. The Highway Patrol set up more tire-puncturing sticks in the road when another trooper said Hearns also tried to run him over.

She then pointed a gun at the trooper and fired, authorities said, but the trooper was not injured. The trooper returned fire.

During a continued pursuit, police said, Hearns fired her gun at a Henderson police officer as well. He was not injured.

The chase ended near Decatur Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue, where Hearns stopped the vehicle, got out and was taken into custody. She had an injury to her hand but told police she was not injured by gunfire and that “her cousin injured her left hand.”

The four officers identified by Henderson police were Sgt. Charles Hedrick, Sgt. Chad Atkin, Sgt. Craig Mancuso and officer Zachary Winningham.

The troopers included Cesar Enriquez-Donate, 30, Kevin Provost, 37 and Kyle Sweeney, 23.

The investigation is ongoing.

Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.